Paris-based French-Cuban sister duo Ibeyi share their sophomore LP. KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls the latest from Naomi and Lisa-Kainde Diaz "another stunning, beautifully crafted blend of electro-pop, soul, hip-hop and traditional Cuban percussion, combining a spacious, beat-driven sound wit…
Portland synth pop legends STRFKR are no strangers to KEXP, but they came through the studio once again after returning stateside from a quick jaunt over to Japan and played a quick set that included cuts spanning their whole career. Their sound has often been difficult to define: at times straight…
The sheer volume of great pop music coming out of the UK can be overwhelming, and that’s only what makes it Stateside. Imagine actually living there, surrounded on all sides by unending legacy and talent. That’s exactly the type of pressure cooker from which London based pop artist Oscar has emerge…
Summing a two-song barrage in the KEXP studio by New Zealand's Salad Boys, DJ Kevin Cole exclaimed that they sound like "the best of The Feelies, Velvet Underground and Yo La Tengo in one song". While they certainly make a lovable racket channeling those and other legendary bands from their hometow…
There are infinite ways in which musicians reveal their talent, and fans need only listen to the first track of Ad Infinitum, the fourth album by Seattle's own Telekinesis, to realize what we now have on our airwaves is a truly stand-out record. Combine several years of early, steady, success with …
Everyone's recovering from the long Memorial Day weekend, including the music industry, but there are still some excellent new releases awake today. One of the highlights is the third full-length from Portland band Unknown Mortal Orchestra. KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls it "an adventurous, im…
White Lung's frontwoman Mish Way is nothing less than a singular, commanding singer, but the ferocious spirit that fuels her performances is empowering, not intimidating. On the band's latest album, Deep Fantasy, Way and guitarist Kenneth William, drummer Anne-Marie Vassiliou, and bassist Hether Fo…
Hailing from Brooklyn, NY, but represented by Seattle's own Sub Pop Records, Obits came by the KEXP studios for a live — part tribal, part rock — set to celebrate the release of their new album, Bed & Bugs. Lead singer Rick Froberg mixed his Jack White-style singing voice with a penchant for sc…
It’s always interesting when you learn about an artist’s path to recognition – and it’s even more captivating when it involves details and arcs you’d never expect. This is the intriguing life of singer-songwriter Laura Veirs: she was raised in Colorado in the 70s, where she studied geology and Mand…
Although it began as an anonymous solo project, Arthur Ashin's Autre Ne Veut has emerged as one of the leaders of the current electronic and indie-tinged R&B explosion. Now that the project has evolved into an entity outside of his bedroom, Ashin's live takes on the songs from Anxiety, his seco…
Noga Erez is a Tel Aviv-based singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer creating smart, catchy, colorful global electro-pop packed with vibrant instrumentation and politically-charged lyrics. Her debut album Off The Radar was released earlier this year on City Slang Records, introducing…
The music world struck it rich in 1977. It was ground zero for punk, with debut albums from the Sex Pistols, The Damned, and Dead Boys, to name a few. And not just one, but two albums each from David Bowie and The Ramones. The year was so notable, The Clash wrote a song about it, with lyrics like "…
Beach House are releasing a compilation called B-Sides and Rarities, which features (you guessed it) previously unreleased B-sides and rarities on June 30 via Sub Pop. Today, they shared a video for the track "Chariot," which was self-directed by the band. The video depicts a movie theater audience…
Not sure of any Seattle sightings, but mysterious posters have been popping up in cities like London, Amsterdam, and Brooklyn. Bearing statements like "Worse Politicians/More Fear" and "More Public Fear/More Private Security," the words echo the lyrics of "Fitter Happier" the opening track of Radi…
LA-via-San Francisco band Thee Oh Sees return with their 11th album, a release KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls, "a more jam-oriented take on the band's adventurous blend of raw garage-rock, trippy psych-rock and motorik prog." Veteran Minneapolis duo Atmosphere release "a potent set of emotive …
It's uncanny that yesterday just happened to be Australia Day, and the highlights of this week's new releases are dominated by the down under! Merge Records release the latest from Melbourne pop quartet Twerps, which KEXP Music Director Don Yates notes is, "a masterful album of jangly indie-pop rem…
Part of Minneapolis' Doomtree collective, Dessa, the 7-member group's only female emcee, may also be their most well rounded. A degree in philosophy, a background in writing, particularly in creative non-fiction and spoken-word, and enough business acumen to run day-to-days of the label itself all …
In Portland, it takes a village. Or nearly that, at least, to bring to life the songs of Kyle Morton. Over three albums and a handful of EPs, the 11-member group Typhoon build gorgeously orchestrated folk pop around Morton's uniquely intimate and personal lyrics. Morton, who nearly died of Lyme Dis…
Last year, The Shins released their fifth album called Heartworms. Next week, they're releasing a flipped version of the album entitled The Worm's Heart, featuring reworked versions of all the songs on the album. The basic premise is that all the songs keep the same lyrics and melodies but the slow…
